In a true Christmas miracle, a viral crypto stunt actually seems to be doing some good in the world.
Crypto
Here's a heartwarming holiday crypto story (no, seriously)
Siqi Chen, an investor and startup founder, took to X on Christmas Eve to share a GoFundMe campaign he created to fund research into a rare brain tumor afflicting his 5-year-old daughter. His daughter, Mira, was diagnosed in September with adamantinomatous craniopharyngioma — a benign tumor that is usually not fatal but causes severe side effects.
Chen said the family is working with Dr. Todd Hankinson at the University of Colorado on treatments to slow the tumor’s growth. Because this cancer is so rare, he said, research is sparse and funding is lacking. “this christmas, i am humbly asking for your help to support dr. hankinson’s research,” he tweeted.
His online fundraiser raised more than $233,000 of its $300,000 goal in two days. But the most heartwarming part had nothing to do with GoFundMe.
Late in the evening on Christmas Day, Chen took to X again — this time in surprise.
“uh so some random guy 20 minutes [ago] made a SOL memecoin called $MIRA to help with research fundraising and sent me half the entire supply and it’s now worth like $400K and i literally don’t know what to do,” he wrote.
The memecoin — internet parlance for a cryptocurrency created on a lark, often based on a joke — skyrocketed in value as crypto enthusiasts traded it among themselves. Chen started selling off small portions of his holding Wednesday evening, promising to donate 100% of the proceeds to Hankinson’s laboratory. “CAN SOME PLEASE EXPLAIN HOW THIS MAGIC INTERNET MONEY WORKS I AM LOSING MY MIND,” he wrote less than half an hour after his initial tweet, when the value of his holdings soared to nearly $6 million.
Chen continued tweeting his disbelief as the value soared to $11 million, then $14.7 million, then $18.8 million. By Thursday morning, he had sold enough of the token to send at least $1 million to Hankinson’s lab, he said. “yi, mira and i are so unbelievably grateful to you all — each and every one of you,” he wrote. “christmas magic was made real this year thanks to all of you. forever grateful.”
Perhaps no one was more surprised than Hankinson, who learned of the memecoin Thursday morning via excited texts from friends and coworkers. “This entire area of the world — Bitcoin and NFTs and stuff — I do not know a single thing about it,” he told The Standard. “So when all this stuff started going on, I was like, ‘What?’”
Hankinson said he has studied adamantinomatous craniopharyngioma for more than 15 years, and his lab is the only one in North America dedicated to its treatment. He said funding is hard to come by both because the condition is rare — fewer than two in a million people are diagnosed with AC every year — and because it does not grow as aggressively as some other tumors. Still, he said, the side effects can be devastating: stunted growth; vision impairment; and difficulty regulating hunger, thirst, and temperature.
If the Chen family did contribute $1 million, he said, it would be by far the largest donation the lab has ever received.
“Even if it ends up being a small fraction of what people have talked about, it would still be a complete game changer for the scale on which we can do things and the sophistication with which we do things,” he said. “This would be the most insane Christmas gift our research has ever gotten.”
Hankinson and Chen weren’t the only ones surprised by the use of a memecoin to fund medical research. These trend-based tokens are primarily known as risky, volatile investments — more of a gag than a serious asset. (The creators of a memecoin tied to Hailey Welch, better known as the “Hawk Tuah” Girl, are being sued by investors after its value dropped 95% in a single day.) They are sometimes used in crypto scams known as “rug pulls,” in which founders create a token, convince people to invest in it, then rapidly sell all their holdings.
Chen said repeatedly on Twitter that he was trying to avoid a “rug pull” situation by selling off his holdings in the “MIRA” coin slowly. He said Thursday that he would sell $1,000 worth of the token every 10 minutes until it runs out. Still, the value of the coin has dropped significantly from its overnight high.
That crash — coupled with the fact that early sellers of the coin likely made a tidy profit — made some observers uneasy. But Chen said he didn’t mind.
“if you made a lot of money, i’m genuinely happy for you — but please consider donating some of your profits to hankinson lab,” he tweeted. “if you lost a lot of money, i’m very sorry — but magic internet money is magic internet money.”
Chen is a well-regarded figure in Silicon Valley who founded and sold two startups and worked at several others before his current venture, a finance software company called Runway. Among those responding to his tweets were Reddit co-founder Alexis Ohanian, Sequoia partner Shaun Maguire, and X CEO Linda Yaccarino.
In a Twitter Space on Wednesday night, Chen explained that his daughter initially presented with a headache, which he and his wife thought little about until they brought her to a pediatrician who suggested an MRI. Doctors have since placed Mira on an arthritis medication that could slow the growth of the tumor, and they are weighing the benefits of surgery. “Our strategy right now is just to try everything we can to buy as much time as possible,” he said.
Crypto
Top 100 Bitcoin Treasuries Now Hold 1.26M BTC
Key Takeaways
- Top 100 institutional bitcoin holders now control nearly 1.26 million BTC, although Strategy alone accounts for more than two-thirds of that total.
- Mining firms, technology companies, private enterprises, and treasury vehicles are using bitcoin to diversify reserves, hedge inflation risk, and signal long-term conviction.
- The data shows broad institutional participation, but holdings remain highly concentrated among crypto-native firms and one dominant corporate buyer.
Bitcoin Treasuries Are Turning Scarcity Into Strategy
Institutional bitcoin accumulation has grown dramatically, with the top 100 holders now controlling 1,258,090 BTC as of June 8, 2026, according to a chart published on X by HODL15Capital. This group includes public companies, private firms, mining operators, and treasury-focused entities, reflecting specialized corporate allocations alongside one dominant buyer.
At the top of the list, Strategy holds exactly 845,256 BTC, far surpassing every other entity. Twentyone Capital follows with 43,514 BTC, and Japan’s Metaplanet holds 40,177 BTC, showing that institutional BTC accumulation is global and spans multiple industries. Marathon Digital contributes 35,303 BTC.
The size of Strategy’s lead reveals how uneven the race has become. One company controls more bitcoin than the rest of the top 100 combined, turning corporate treasury policy into a marketwide talking point. For investors, that concentration makes Strategy one of the clearest equity-market proxies for BTC exposure.
Other major names on the chart include Coinbase, Riot Platforms, Tesla, Spacex, Cleanspark, Block, Galaxy Digital, American Bitcoin Corp., and Hut 8. That lineup makes the trend easy to understand: bitcoin is no longer only a crypto-sector balance sheet bet. It now reaches miners, exchanges, technology firms, private companies, and treasury vehicles.
The BTC Concentration Across Sectors and Borders
The global spread of BTC holders is as notable as the headline total. Metaplanet’s top ranking shows adoption is no longer U.S.-centric, with participants from Japan, Canada, Europe, and Asia signaling worldwide corporate and institutional demand for bitcoin.
The supply angle is what makes the chart matter beyond crypto circles. The top 100 holders control more than 6% of bitcoin’s maximum 21 million supply, giving a singular corporate buyer a highly visible role in market liquidity. For shareholders, that creates both upside potential and sharper exposure to crypto-driven swings.
Overall, the chart illustrates a highly centralized institutional concentration of bitcoin reserves. The focus is no longer just who holds the most, but how BTC has become a balance sheet battleground, with companies using treasury positions to signal conviction, attract investors, and position themselves in a more bitcoin-integrated financial landscape.
Crypto
About 1 in 5 Americans have used crypto; Republicans’ use has ticked up
Even after years of buzz, the use of cryptocurrency has remained fairly stable in the United States. Today, about one-in-five U.S. adults (19%) say they’ve invested in or used a cryptocurrency – about on par with the 16% who said this in 2021.
But for the first time, there is a partisan gap in use. Republicans’ crypto use has ticked up from 16% in 2021 to 22% today, and they are now more likely than Democrats to say they’ve used it, according to a Pew Research Center survey conducted in January 2026.
Crypto has become part of the national political conversation in recent years. The Trump administration has set out to make America the “crypto capital of the world,” including steps to allow crypto firms to become banks.
Who uses cryptocurrency?
Some of the biggest demographic differences in cryptocurrency use are by gender, age and income.
Men under 50 stand out for being crypto users; Republicans are more likely to use it than Democrats
% of U.S. adults who say they have ever invested in, traded or used a cryptocurrency such as bitcoin or ether
* Estimates for Asian adults are representative of English speakers only.
Note: White, Black and Asian adults include those who report being only one race and are not Hispanic. Hispanics are of any race. Family income tiers are based on adjusted 2024 earnings.
Source: Survey of U.S. adults conducted Jan. 20-26, 2026.
PEW RESEARCH CENTER
Men under 50 stand out for being crypto users; Republicans are more likely to use it than Democrats
% of U.S. adults who say they have ever invested in, traded or used a cryptocurrency such as bitcoin or ether
| Demographic | % | |
|---|---|---|
| U.S. adults | U.S. Adults | 19 |
| Men | Gender | 27 |
| Women | Gender | 11 |
| Ages 18-29 | Age | 26 |
| 30-49 | Age | 28 |
| 50+ | Age | 10 |
| Men 18-29 | Male and Age | 38 |
| 30-49 | Male and Age | 40 |
| 50+ | Male and Age | 14 |
| Women 18-29 | Female and Age | 15 |
| 30-49 | Female and Age | 17 |
| 50+ | Female and Age | 6 |
| White | Race/Ethnicity | 18 |
| Hispanic | Race/Ethnicity | 19 |
| Black | Race/Ethnicity | 20 |
| Asian* | Race/Ethnicity | 25 |
| Upper income | Income | 27 |
| Middle income | Income | 20 |
| Lower income | Income | 16 |
| Rep/Lean Rep | Party | 22 |
| Dem/Lean Dem | Party | 17 |
* Estimates for Asian adults are representative of English speakers only.
Note: White, Black and Asian adults include those who report being only one race and are not Hispanic. Hispanics are of any race. Family income tiers are based on adjusted 2024 earnings.
Source: Survey of U.S. adults conducted Jan. 20-26, 2026.
PEW RESEARCH CENTER
By gender and age
As was true in past surveys, young men stand out for their use of crypto:
- 38% of men ages 18 to 29 say they have ever invested in, traded or used cryptocurrency, compared with 15% of women in the same age range.
- 40% of men ages 30 to 49 have done this, compared with 17% of women in this age group.
Crypto use among men and women ages 30 to 49 has gone up since 2021. And men 50 and older are also more likely to have ever used crypto today than in 2021.
By income
About one-in-four adults in upper-income households (27%) have invested in or used crypto, up from 23% in 2024 and 17% in 2021.
By comparison, 20% of middle-income Americans have used crypto, up slightly from 17% in 2021. Use has not changed among lower-income Americans (16% this year vs. 15% in 2021).
By party
Republicans are now more likely than Democrats to have invested in, traded or used crypto (22% vs. 17%). Before this year, Republicans and Republican-leaning independents were as likely as Democrats and Democratic leaners to say they’d done so. But GOP crypto use has grown from 16% in 2021 to 22% now, while Democrats’ use has held steady at 17%.
By race and ethnicity
A quarter of Asian adults say they have ever invested in, traded or used crypto – which is similar to Black and Hispanic adults. White adults remain less likely to be crypto users than Asian adults but are on par with Black and Hispanic adults for the first time. This is partially due to crypto use among White Americans ticking up from 13% in 2021 to 18% today.
For more about Americans and cryptocurrency, read our 2024 analysis, which has information on:
Note: Here are the questions used for this analysis, the topline and the survey methodology.
Crypto
Bitcoin Surges 5% to $64K, Settles Near $62.5K as Trump Says Netanyahu Must Accept Iran Deal
Key Takeaways
Trump Says the Deal Is ‘Almost Complete’
The rally followed remarks in which Trump framed the agreement as a near-certainty and signaled he would push it through with or without Israel’s full cooperation. Speaking about Netanyahu, the president said the Israeli leader will have “no choice” but to sign because, in his telling, he “calls the shots.”
Trump described the deal as “almost complete” and said he expected an announcement at the start of the new business week, with traders treating the language as a firmer commitment than the ceasefire speculation that has come and gone for months, and risk assets reacted within hours.
Analysts first flagged the price reaction, noting bitcoin’s 5% jump to $64,000 came directly on the back of the comments, indicating that the market read the statement less as a rumor and more as a direct signal that Washington intends to close the matter regardless of how Jerusalem responds.
A Bounce off the 2026 Low
The surge marked a sharp turn from the prior week as Bitcoin touched an intraday low near $59,100 on June 5, its weakest level since February (during what Bitcoin.com News described as the worst week of 2026 for the asset). At the lows, more than half of all BTC sat in unrealized loss, a condition that has historically lined up with major market bottoms.
Short-term chart readings had already pointed to an oversold market primed for a snapback, leaving the rally needing only a catalyst. The geopolitical headline supplied it. Even after the move, bitcoin remained roughly $18,000 below the $82,000 record it set in mid-May, underscoring how much ground the recent decline erased.
The recovery offered relief to leveraged traders after a brutal stretch of forced selling earlier in the month. Hundreds of thousands of positions were wiped out as the price slid, and a swift reversal of that kind often triggers a wave of short liquidations that amplifies the upside.
Geopolitics Back in the Driver’s Seat
Bitcoin’s sensitivity to Middle East headlines has been one of 2026’s defining patterns given that earlier in the year, the digital currency’s topped $77,000 as Trump weighed his options on Iran, while prediction-market wagers on a peace deal swelled into the hundreds of millions of dollars. De-escalation signals have repeatedly lifted risk appetite, and threats of conflict have pulled it back down.
Crypto tends to trade as a high-beta risk asset in these episodes, selling off harder than equities when fear spikes and rallying faster when it eases. That makes bitcoin an unusually sensitive barometer of how traders price the odds of war or peace, even when the headlines have no direct link to digital assets.
The same tensions had been a drag in recent weeks as higher oil prices tied to the standoff have fed inflation concerns and complicated the Federal Reserve’s rate path, with some officials declining to rule out further hikes and expected cuts being pushed back. That backdrop helped drag crypto lower before Sunday’s rebound.
Analysts caution that headline-driven rallies can fade quickly and only a confirmed agreement could sustain the move. Collapse in talks or a fresh exchange of fire risks sending the price back toward its recent floor. The Fed’s stance remains a second swing factor that could cap any extended recovery.
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